Hello Jealousy
by Chaos Ride
Summary: There were times she just wanted to be the prettiest girl in the room, but knew it would never happen. A late night realization, and a friendship born.


**I liiiive! Kinda... **

**Disclaimer: Character belong to JP. Ideas belong to me. He's using my ideas anyway, as several people have pointed out.**

**Notes: Ella is living with them during the summer, then living with her mom during the school year. Just to be clear.**

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><p>When Ella was little, she dreamed of flying every night, soaring high above the clouds. Every night, without fail, her dreams were about flying and nothing else.<p>

Right up until she stopped dreaming all together the summer before sixth grade. She missed dreaming and flying.

So naturally, after the initial shock and awe of meeting the flock, jealousy ravaged Ella like crazy, she had never wanted to be someone so bad.

She was especially jealous of Nudge, for numerous reasons. Nudge was gorgeous, slim instead of too meaty or too stick like, and had amazing hair that never looked anything less than stylish, even with bed head. She was the complete opposite of Ella, who was told by numerous boys she wasn't pretty, had no concept of fashion beyond jeans and a t-shirt, had a daily battle with her hair, which was perpetually too flat or too frizzy, and despite running a mile every day and soccer workouts, still had pudge on her stomach that wouldn't go away. She looked like a peppermint next to a decadent chocolate cake next to Nudge.

_(Sometimes she wished she was the prettiest girl in the room, but knew it would never happen at the flock's house unless she was alone in said room. Even Angel and Max were exceptionally beautiful, almost supernaturally so.)_

They were perfect, in Ella's mind at least, and did nothing to dispute this claim for the better part of the first summer Ella spent living with them (doing so to simultaneously get away from her mother and get closer to her sister, but only during the summer, by Valencia's rule.) But no one's perfect, Ella was forced to realize one night.

It was early August and more than definitely past midnight by a large margin, and Ella was hovering on the edges of a dream, so close she could _taste _it. She pushed and felt a tug before colors started appearing. She was going to dream for the first time in three years! And then she was jolted awake by soft crying that echoed off the darkened hall from somewhere else in the house. Ella cursed being an extremely light sleeper, and after a moment of laying there, mourning the loss of her dream, she eased up and out of the room to investigate.

Nudge was curled up on the couch, one dark hand clutching a faded photograph so tight that little wrinkle spread from her fingertips outward, the other hand covering her hand, muffling the little gasps and cry noises she couldn't stop making. Shocked, Ella took a step back, and Lady Luck played a cruel move and let the wooden board she step on make a noise that sounded like a gunshot in the quiet of the night. Nudge's head snaps up, eyes red rimmed and shocked, wide.

Cautiously, Ella creeped over to the couch and slides down next to the crying girl, and after a moment hugs the other girl semi-awkwardly.

"Who is he?" The Spanish girl asked in reference to the photo still clutched in the other's hand.

"Ari Batchelder. It's the anniversary of his death today… He's Max's half brother. Erm, was…" Nudge bit one full lip, and handed Ella the photo, the paper stiff and unmoving in her hand. The Martinez girl hugged the fashonista tighter, rocking slightly. She wasn't good at this comforting thing, and after her dad died, her mother comforted her so she didn't know even by example.

After several long moments, Nudge whispered, "You don't have to do this, y'know. I'm fine..." Ella froze, startled by the quietly intense sentence. The other girl took her silence as hesitation, and elaborated, "I know you don't like me that much. It's cool." It was definitely not 'cool' and the dark girl was still crying slightly, white bangs plastered to her forehead and other wisps of smooth black hair sticking to her cheeks, which were hot and damp from crying.

"I like you just fine…" '_I think if I ever got over my stupid jealousy, we'd be amazing friends.' _So much left unsaid, Ella cursed her inability to say what she was thinking.

A watery laugh escaped the girl in her arms, "I understand. You don't have to pretend to like me because you're Max's sister."

'_I'm not bloody pretending it's because…' "I'm jealous!"_ She admits after a moment, eyes downcast in embarrassment.

"Why?" Her tone didn't sound condescending or prideful, but honestly curious.

"You're perfect…" '_Compared to me.'_

The slimmer girl scoffed, and countered, in the same strong voice she used when she serious and wanted to be heard, "Nobody's perfect, and you have no reason to be jealous. You don't want to be me. You're you and I'm me, and you're just as special and amazing as me, or Max, or _anyone_ because of that. Flaws make us beautiful." After her speech, Nudge gives one final sniff and wipes under her eyes with her fists, before sliding her arms back around Ella's shoulder's and squeezing. Hesitantly, her hands press flat against the other's back, the photograph she had forgot she was holding pressing against her palm, hot from her body temperature and slick with the sweat.

"Wasn't I supposed to be comforting you?" She questioned, somewhat feebly, sometime later, feeling emotionally drained.

"You did. I thought you hated me…"

"Then let's start over. Hi, my name's Ella. You're hair's really pretty." She extended a hand, obviously waiting for a handshake.

"I'm Nudge. The white is natural and won't go away no matter what I try! You're eyes are pretty." They shake hands.

"Let's be friends! I'll help you try and dye the white out if you teach me how to do my hair like that."

"Deal." They both smile, before laughing.

Later, when they finally go to bed, Ella dreamed for the first time is three years. She dreamed of flying, as always, but this time she wasn't alone.

She doesn't think she's ever had a better dream.

_Hello, jealousy is my enemy today, your savior tomorrow_.


End file.
